Birthday Success for Jack Whitaker at Youth Olympic Games

It was a Showjumping Team Silver place medal position for Nottinghamshires Jack Whitaker, who was celebrating his 17th birthday today, and Team Europe at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Just a few seconds separated them from the Gold medal spot when the North American team took the win ahead of Europe with Africa taking Bronze. For Europe, the team of Jack Whitaker aboard LV Chance Luck, Giacomo Casdei (ITA), Vince Jarmy (HUN), Rowen van de Mheen (NED) and Simon Jan Morssinkhof (BEL) it was another good day of competition with some solid performances being delivered.

Yesterday had seen the first leg of the competition take place with Europe sitting at the top of the table on zero penalties alongside Australia and North America with Africa in 4th place on 4 penalties. Today’s second and final round of the competition saw both North America and Europe retain their zero penalty score through to the end of the competition resulting in time being the critical factor which determined the final placings. It was North America that took the honours with their slightly faster finish time.

Team Australasia’s fortunes changed when they had to carry an addition four penalties to their existing ones of yesterday. This saw them fall away from the medal winning placings and down into 5th place whilst Team Africa moved up a place with no further penalties to add into Bronze.

Talking afterwards Jack said: “It’s a fantastic feeling to win a silver medal at the Youth Olympics. I would really like to thank the owners of my horse LV Chance Luck for giving me the opportunity to ride him. He has been fantastic and we have formed a good relationship in the short period of time we have had together. The experience here has been tremendous and I am now looking forward to the Individuals”.

Individual medals will be decided on the 13th October following two days of jumping which commence the day before. The riders contesting the Individuals will all start back on zero penalty scores competing the same horses that they were drawn to compete with at the end of last week.

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